Increasing Persistence

INCREASING PERSISTENCE "e;Of all the books addressing the puzzle of student success and persistence, I found this one to be the most helpful and believe it will be extremely useful to faculty and staff attempting to promote student success. The authors solidly ground their work in empirical research, and do a brilliant job providing both an overview of the relevant literature as well as research-based recommendations for intervention."e; GAIL HACKETT, PH.D., provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs; professor, counseling and educational psychology, University of Missouri, Kansas City Research indicates that approximately forty percent of all college students never earn a degree anywhere, any time in their lives. This fact has not changed since the middle of the 20th century. Written for practitioners and those who lead retention and persistence initiatives at both the institutional and public policy levels, Increasing Persistence offers a compendium on college student persistence that integrates concept, theory, and research with successful practice. It is anchored by the ACT's What Works in Student Retention (WWISR) survey of 1,100 colleges and universities, an important resource that contains insights on the causes of attrition and identifies retention interventions that are most likely to enhance student persistence.?? The authors focus on three essential conditions for student success: students must learn; students must be motivated, committed, engaged, and self-regulating; and students must connect with educational programs consistent with their interests and abilities. The authors offer a detailed discussion of the four interventions that research shows are the most effective for helping students persist and succeed: assessment and course placement, developmental education initiatives, academic advising, and student transition programming. Finally, they urge broadening the current retention construct, providing guidance to policy makers, campus leaders, and individuals on the contributions they can make to student success.

INCREASING PERSISTENCE"Of all the books addressing the puzzle of student success and persistence, I found this one to be the most helpful and believe it will be extremely useful to faculty and staff attempting to promote student success. The authors solidly ground their work in empirical research, and do a brilliant job providing both an overview of the relevant literature as well as research-based recommendations for intervention."GAIL HACKETT, PH.D., provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs; professor, counseling and educational psychology, University of Missouri, Kansas CityResearch indicates that approximately forty percent of all college students never earn a degree anywhere, any time in their lives. This fact has not changed since the middle of the 20th century.Written for practitioners and those who lead retention and persistence initiatives at both the institutional and public policy levels, Increasing Persistence offers a compendium on college student persistence that integrates concept, theory, and research with successful practice. It is anchored by the ACT's What Works in Student Retention (WWISR) survey of 1,100 colleges and universities, an important resource that contains insights on the causes of attrition and identifies retention interventions that are most likely to enhance student persistence.??The authors focus on three essential conditions for student success: students must learn; students must be motivated, committed, engaged, and self-regulating; and students must connect with educational programs consistent with their interests and abilities. The authors offer a detailed discussion of the four interventions that research shows are the most effective for helping students persist and succeed: assessment and course placement, developmental education initiatives, academic advising, and student transition programming. Finally, they urge broadening the current retention construct, providing guidance to policy makers, campus leaders, and individuals on the contributions they can make to student success.

Preface xiiiThe Authors xxixAcknowledgments xxxiiiSection 1: What Do We Know About Retention and Persistence to Degree? 11 Defining, Refining Perspectives on Student Success 32 Overview of Theoretical Perspectives on Student Success 19Section 2: The Case for Intensified Campus Efforts 413 The Demographic Challenge 434 Public and Private Benefits of College 635 Retention or Recruitment: Examining the Return on Investment 79Section 3: Core Components of Student Success 996 Institutional Culture and Student Engagement 1017 Academic Preparation 1178 Psychosocial Characteristics 1379 Career Development 16110 Assessing the Impact of Academic, Psychosocial, and Career Development Factors on College Student Success 181Section 4: Proven Student Success Practices 21111 Historical Perspective on What Works in Student Retention 21312 Assessment and Course Placement 23513 Development Education Initiatives 25514 Academic Advising 28315 First-Year Transition Programs 311Section 5: Making Student Success a Priority 33516 Expanding the Retention Framework: Implications for Public and Institutional Policy 33717 Creating a Student Success Culture 36318 Leading the Campus to Student Success 383AppendicesA What Works in Student Retention, 2004 Survey 397B What Works in Student Retention? 411References 425Name Index 453Subject Index 459